


Rayllum Week 2019

by thirteenpaperstars



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Confessions, Domestic Fluff, Dorms, Drabble, Dragons, F/M, Fireflies, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Flying, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mental Health Issues, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Moonlight, More college AU, One Shot, Panic Attacks, Past Character Death, Post-War, Rayllum, Rayllum Week, Sickfic, Sleep Deprivation, Some angst, T for safety, Tea, They're such dorks, Wordcount: 100-500, am I using too many tags?, scarf, this is trash but ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-11 03:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18421572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirteenpaperstars/pseuds/thirteenpaperstars
Summary: A collection of Rayllum one-shots, written for Rayllum Week (4-10 to 4-17).





	1. I'd rather stay awake while I'm asleep

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for checking this out! I don't know if I'll be able to finish all of the days, but we'll see!  
> 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey.” she said, just above a whisper. Callum moved over to make space for her.
> 
> “Can’t sleep either?”
> 
> “Nope.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 1- fireflies  
> I originally had a really long storyline figured out for this one, but then I realized I had no idea on how to execute it- so here's a very short oneshot~  
> I kind of love the idea of these two and sleep deprivation? Is that just me?  
> 

Sleep deprivation was nothing new to Rayla. All too often, she’d find herself staring at the ceiling of whatever cave she and Callum had decided to camp in, only to fall asleep at some indeterminate hour of the night and wake up moments later. Callum had been sweet when he noticed how tired she was, offering to take watch time and time again despite Rayla’s protests. However, she knew he wasn’t getting much rest either. Outside the cave, she saw him watching the fire, the glow of the flames painting his face in tones of gold. Rayla got up to join him, abandoning her hopes of sleep for the night.

“Hey.” she said, just above a whisper. Callum moved over to make space for her.

“Can’t sleep either?”

“Nope.”

The silence between them was comfortable as they watched the fading embers of the fire dissolve. Neither of them spoke until the flames had died out. Rayla continued staring, lost in thought until Callum placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Look,” he said, “fireflies.” Rayla glanced up from the dying fire. Callum was right- she hadn’t noticed the crowds of fireflies due to the light of the fire, but they were easily visible now. They trailed around the trees, creating winding paths through the forest. They looked like stars fallen to the earth, their glow fading in and out steadily in a peaceful rhythm.

“Oh,” she breathed in awe. Callum stood, reached out and gently gathered his hands around a firefly, its light momentarily extinguished. Rayla watched as he passed it to her. She let out a soft laugh as he cupped their hands together.

“It tickles,” she admitted, giving him a smile. Rayla tried to ignore her growing heartbeat as she admired the firefly. Soon, she became acutely aware of how close he was to her, and how he was still gently holding her hand. All of a sudden, Callum noticed her glances, and he fumbled to turn away and pretend his face wasn’t burning red.

~~~~

The two watched the fireflies late into the night, eventually starting to feel the effects of staying up until who-knows-when. Both Callum and Rayla knew that they’d pay for it when morning dawned, but neither cared.

“Thank you,” Rayla mumbled into his shoulder as she drifted off.

“Anytime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fact- I've never actually seen a firefly in real life! I hope I captured the experience well enough.  
> Thanks so much for reading! If you want, you can drop me a comment, I love hearing from you guys! <3


	2. anything at all can happen just before the sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t eat that!” Rayla cried, smacking a spiky apricot-colored fruit out of Callum’s hands.  
> “Didn’t you say it was okay?”  
> “Did you listen at all to what I said? Don’t. Eat. Anything.”  
> “Oh.”  
> “You really would be dead without me, wouldn’t you?” she muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Rayllum week day 2 prompt was sunrise/sunset so here's a *slightly longer than the last* oneshot based on that, followed by my first fanart/digital drawing! 
> 
> Please enjoy!

Callum’s charcoal scratched across the paper in swift and fluid motions, forming and image of the quickly fading sunrise. He furrowed his brow in frustration- capturing the swirling tones of vermillion, gold and coral just wasn’t possible using the shades of grey he was limited to.  
“That’s beautiful.”  
Callum twisted around to see Rayla propped up on her elbows, watching him draw.  
“Oh, uh, thanks.” he said, flushing slightly at the praise. _What’s wrong with you? It’s just a normal compliment,_ he asked himself.  
“Hmmm, you know what would make it even better?” she asked, scrutinizing the page.  
“What?”  
“There’s some fruits and things- pretty common around here, actually- that you could use for paints.”  
“Really? That’d be great.”  
“I can help you look if you want.” Rayla offered.  
“You don’t have to- I’m sure I can handle it myself.”  
“Callum, you’d probably end up poisoning yourself if you went alone.” she insisted, raising her eyebrow. “And who would be there to save you?”  
“Oh, where would I be without you?” Callum mocked. Rayla’s face heated and she knocked him good-naturedly on the arm.  
“Shut up.”  
~~~~  
“Don’t eat that!” Rayla cried, smacking a spiky apricot-colored fruit out of Callum’s hands.  
“Didn’t you say it was okay?”  
“Did you listen _at all_ to what I said? Don’t. Eat. _Anything_.”  
“Oh.”  
“You really would be dead without me, wouldn’t you?” she muttered.  
“Yeah.” he admitted, defeatedly, adding a few more red berries to his stash. “Is this enough?”

“Should be. Okay, so to use it as a paint you first need t-”

“Are you _sure_ I can’t eat this, though?”

“ _Callum!”_

~~~~

The sun was setting, ending the day quite similarly to how it had began. After almost full afternoon of hiking through the mountains, the pair had stopped at a cliff near a village. Callum sat on the edge, holding his sketchbook up to the light.

“It’s perfect.” Rayla told him. He frowned. The paint he’d made with the berries they’d collected was messy- managing to stain his clothes and half his possessions various shades of dark red- but it had done the trick.

“No… it needs more.” he said, squinting at the page, trying to figure out just _what_ the drawing was lacking.

“It looks great, okay?” Rayla repeated, letting her legs dangle off the cliff’s edge.

“Oh!” Callum’s eyes lit up with inspiration, and he leaned over the page, scribbling furiously.

“What?”

“Just a second- okay, here!” He turned his sketchbook to face her, and Rayla felt her heart skip several beats and drop into her throat.

“Ah. It looks...it looks perfect, Callum.” she said in a gentle tone, lightly tracing the silhouettes he’d drawn. Of them. Under the sky. _Together_ . Half of her brain was screaming, _What does it mean?_ while the other half was telling her to get herself under control. Callum gave her a bright smile. _Moons above, he was so adorable. When did this happen?_ she asked herself.

“I think it’s perfect too.”

~~~~

 

(Some fanart that I did- actually before I wrote this fic)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man I wish I had Callum's drawing skills


	3. peach tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The door to Callum’s dorm flew open with a bang, revealing a slender girl with pearly silver hair behind it. Callum leaned over his bunk bed’s edge.
> 
> “Hey, Rayla,” he greeted her. She scowled and stalked across the room, falling face-first into one of Callum’s bean bag chairs.
> 
> “Mmmmhhmmmmm,” she moaned. Callum swung down from the top bunk and joined her.
> 
> “What’s wrong this time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was SO FUN to write!! I'm going to publish it separately from this multichapter because I might add more in the future. I was super nervous for this, since I've never written an AU before, but I had a great time and really enjoyed writing college Rayla and Callum. They're so adorkable, aren't they??
> 
> Thanks for reading!

The door to Callum’s dorm flew open with a bang, revealing a slender girl with pearly silver hair behind it. Callum leaned over his bunk bed’s edge.

“Hey, Rayla,” he greeted her. She scowled and stalked across the room, falling face-first into one of Callum’s bean bag chairs.

“Mmmmhhmmmmm,” she moaned. Callum swung down from the top bunk and joined her.

“What’s wrong this time?”

“I got a C+ on my Xadian Sciences final,” she groaned into the fabric.

“Then maybe you should have studied instead of playing video games with me.”

“And who was the one who said _you’ve studied enough, Rayla, you’ll be fine, come check out my new game system?_ ” she mocked in a sing-song voice.

“I _did not_ sound like that,” he defended.

“Suuuurrreee you didn’t. Anyway. What are we watching tonight?”

“Actually, I haven’t decided yet. Want to pick?” he asked, gesturing at the stack of DVDs beside his second-hand television set. Rayla crawled over and pulled out a disc from the pile at random.

“Okay, terrible movie number twenty-six, let’s go,” she muttered, sliding it into the DVD player and joining Callum on the couch.

 

~~~~

**_four months prior_ **

 

Callum was lonely. He hated admitting it, but he was lonely. Sure, having his own dorm room was great and all, but he was missing out on the _lifelong friendships_ every college brochure seemed to promise him. Callum took a deep breath in preparation before walking into Advanced Magic Studies. He’d fought long and hard to be able to take the advanced course, but seeing the juniors and seniors walk in without a care in the world made him begin to rethink his decision. Part of him was excited, while the other half was absolutely _terrified._ He pushed open the double doors before he could talk himself out of it. Rows of seats were quickly filling up with students, many of them chattering to their friends. Callum felt another pang of loneliness hit him. _Get yourself together,_ he told himself. Walking down the aisle he chose a seat in the middle of the room. Dropping his backpack and taking in his surroundings, Callum couldn’t help but notice the girl sitting next to him. She stood out against the mundane classroom, with silver hair so light it was almost white, and violet eyes that were glazed over and currently staring into the blank space above the clock. She looked younger than the rest of the students. _She couldn’t be a freshman too, could she?_

“Hello?” he asked tentatively. _Might as well get to know her, if I’m going to sit here all year,_ he reasoned. She jolted out of her daydream.

“Hey,” she said simply, giving him a quick smile and opening her backpack to produce a thick binder. She paused for a moment and gave him a sideways glance.

“You’re, a-”

“Yes, I’m a freshman,” he cut her off with, defensiveness edging his words. _Oh, good going Callum, say something rude the first time she opens her mouth. No wonder you don’t have any friends._

“No- no, not that, I was going to say that you’re..you’re sitting in gum,” she replied, suppressing a laugh. Callum looked down and immediately flushed. As there weren’t many empty seats, he hurried to take care of the problem with a disgusted expression. For the rest of the lecture, he refused to meet her eye.

 

When the loud electronic bell pronounced them free from class, Callum rushed to the exit, in hopes of avoiding another awkward encounter. Such luck seemed to abandon him, as she caught up with him in a matter of minutes.

“Did you say you were a freshman, too?” she asked, holding the door open for him as they exited the building.

“Yeah. I didn’t want to take Mechanical Magic like everyone else- Magic Studies is so much better,” he responded. The girl nodded in approval and stuck out her hand.

“I’m Rayla.”

On one sunny afternoon after class, Callum left complaining to Rayla about the laborious workload they’d received from their professor.

“How do they expect us to hand in this essay by Thursday?” he bemoaned. She nodded sympathetically.

“And it’s not like I even understand half of this stuff!” he continued. Rayla shushed him.

“Hold still,” she said, producing a gel pen from her pocket. Taking his hand, she scribbled her phone number down.

“Call me if you need help,” she instructed him, waving goodbye and taking off across the lawn.

 

Their phone calls started out innocent- the occasional question about an assignment- until she started talking to him more and more. Callum didn’t quite know how it happened, but she eventually ended up visiting his dorm almost every day. Sometimes they sat in silence and studied, while other times they headed over to the campus coffee shop and just talked. He didn’t mind the company- he was no longer lonely, and was even able to meet some people that Rayla introduced him to. As they grew more comfortable around each other, questions about their relationship became common. If either of them were asked, they’d say they were only friends, though this answer frequently earned them second glances and raised eyebrows in return.

“We’re just friends,” Rayla would tell Runaan whenever he gave her a questioning look.

“We’re just friends,” Callum assured his younger brother when he asked about why he was hanging out _with a girl._

 _We’re just friends,_ Rayla tried to convince herself when she heard Callum was going out with Claudia.

 

Their time together dwindled. Callum always giving her some kind of excuse, whether it be homework, classes, or, more commonly, Claudia. Several times throughout the day, Rayla would mentally kick herself, especially when she saw _them_ around campus. Once, she saw them holding hands in the corridor, to which she sharply spun around and retreated in the opposite direction. _It’s not like I like him,_ Rayla’s mind offered weakly. _He deserves to be happy._

 

Rayla was jolted from her otherwise peaceful sleep to the sound of her phone buzzing. She’d fell asleep at some unreasonable hour of the night watching YouTube, her earbuds still tucked in. She picked up the phone. _Callum_ glared up at her from the caller ID screen. She groaned and pressed _acceptl,_ holding the phone to her ear and closing her eyes again.

“I’ll be there in five minutes,” his voice said.

Rayla turned over in her bed, more than half asleep.

“Whaaa?” she mumbled incoherently, only to hear a click and a dial tone. She checked the clock. _5:21 A.M._ Grumbling, she struggled into a jacket and shoes, not even caring enough to change out of her pajamas. Leaving her roommate to wonder where she’d gone, Rayla left her dorm and waited in the hall. Callum arrived moments later, whisking her away to the coffee shop in silence. Rayla fell asleep again in the backseat of his car, only awakening when it came to a stop. Callum went to the counter of the empty shop and ordered their usual, Rayla’s peach tea and his Chai latte with extra whip cream. After paying for the drinks, he passed her the cups and sank into their favorite table overlooking the campus bookstore.

“Sooo...why did you drag me all the way here?” she asked, rubbing her eyes and warming her hands on the cardboard cup. Curse Callum and his morning person-ness.

“You need caffeine. You’ve looked like a zombie al week,” he shrugged, earning himself a glare. “And,” he added, “I broke up with Claudia.” Now fully awake, Rayla felt her heart soar, then crash to the ground.

“Ah,” she stuttered, feeling the need to restart her brain several times. “Are you...are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. She...she, uh, well,” he responded, looking nervous. “We both knew it was coming. She’s always talking about her Mechanical Magic class. How great it is, how I should change my schedule to be with her. But…Rayla- it’s horrible.It’s really just Dark Magic.” Callum shuddered. Rayla took his hand from across the table.

“It’s okay, though. I knew this would happen,” he said, giving her a genuine smile. Rayla remained skeptical, but let out a deep breath.

“Anyway,” he continued, a new lilt in his voice, “That’s in the past now. I was actually, um, wondering if you wanted to come over to my dorm tonight? I have a bunch of bad movies to watch.” Rayla suddenly became very aware that she was still holding his hand across the table, and she immediately let it go, knocking her cup over in the process. Red-hot tea spilled everywhere, soaking her clothes and hair. Fortunately, not a drop landed on Callum, she noticed, and he rushed to grab napkins from the counter.

“I’m a disaster,” Rayla admitted sheepishly, as he helped her sop up the remains of the drink.

“You’re perfect,” he said, unthinkingly. He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. Brain catching up to the moment, he realized in a terrible flash what he had just done. The pair froze, staring at each other with twin blushes blossoming on their faces. Callum squeezed her hand, breaking the awkward moment. He swooped past her to grab his backpack.

“I’ll see you at eight!” he announced, flying out of the shop in a breeze.

Rayla deposited the napkins in the trash can, her head spinning. She was going to need _a lot_ of time to process this.

 

~~~~

**_present_ **

 

She fell asleep halfway through terrible movie twenty-six, curled up against him. Callum took one look at her, and his heart melted. She looked so peaceful. He paused the movie and set down the popcorn bowl they had been sharing. Making sure not to wake her, he got up off the couch and grabbed the comforter off his bed. Tucking it in around them, Callum laid down next to her. Rayla opened her eyes halfway.

“Is the movie over?” she asked.

“We’ll finish it tomorrow.”

“Good,” she sighed, letting him wrap an arm around her.

“Sweet dreams,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her hair.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally feel like they'd go on Starbucks trips in the early morning. Or maybe that's just me.


	4. night terrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night before he died, everything was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rayllum week day 4- moonlight  
> I’m not sure I really like what I came up for this day. The challenge must go on- I may or may not end up writing something for tomorrow. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

    The night before he died, everything was perfect. Before Callum was struck with the blade of a Sunfire soldier, taking his final shuddering breath in Rayla’s arms, they spent one last night under the stars and the moon. The field they’d been in that night was covered with sage-green grass, the light of the almost-full moon streaming through the beads of dew. Fighting nightmares, they found, was easier when they were together. The pair of teenagers stayed up past midnight and talked, just the two of them. Callum had woven the silky vanilla strands of her hair into a loose braid, recounting his childhood memories- playing tag with Ez, learning to draw, and sunny afternoons in the castle. As the stars faded and the hours of the night turned deeper, Rayla shared her concerns about the future.

”I’m not cut out to be an assassin,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when this is all over.”

Callum had squeezed her hand and given her a half-asleep smile.

“We’ll figure it out together.” he assured her, slipping into a peaceful sleep, the blankets of moonlight to keep them warm.

~~~~

Its was a fragile memory, shattering like glass at her touch. He was gone now, Rayla reminded herself. Flying above the stars and through the atmosphere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do you ever find a great fanfiction but then you see “major character death” in the archive warnings? Yeah. First character death I’ve written but I still think I could have done better.
> 
> Tell me what you think! Thanks again for reading.


	5. suffer together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more modern college AU for this one! A bit more of a shorter chapter since I already wrote a full-length oneshot for this day- 
> 
> here's a link to my original day 5 oneshot- https://archiveofourown.org/works/18363650
> 
> I really want to add on more to this College AU universe- do you think that the trope's too overdone?
> 
> Thanks for reading!

“Just leave me here to dieee,” Callum moaned, face buried in his couch pillows. Rayla rolled her eyes from the dorm room’s kitchen.

“You only have a cold. It’s not even that bad.”

“How would  _you_ know?”  

Rayla sighed. He was pathetic.

“I still say it’s unfair you got to skip  _all_ your classes today."

“You’d skip too if-” he started, cut off by another round of coughing. Callum’s microwave joined in the cacophony, beeping insistently. Rayla wrenched the door and strode across the room, dodging the piles of clothes and papers that were strewn about. She offered one of the mugs to Callum. He stared at the brown liquid swirling inside.

“Drink up.” she instructed, joining him on the couch and watching him take a few distatesful sips. His face wrinkled up in disgust.

“I will never understand you tea people,” he complained, setting the mug down.

“So did you really drag me out of class to insult my tea-making skills?”

“Oh please, you should be thanking me.”

“You’re still pathetic,” she said stubbornly.

“Good thing you love me then,” he said slyly, sitting up to kiss her cheek before she could push him away. Rayla scrambled to the other side of the couch.

“Eughh, you’re going to get _me_ sick _too_.” she cried, crossing her arms.

“Good, then you’ll have to suffer with me," he replied, swooping her into his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Domestic fluff is, in my opinion, one of the best kinds of fluff.
> 
> looking forward to tomorrow's prompt, (scarf) I'll admit, I don't really have any ideas planned out for my fics in advance, so we'll see what happens. 
> 
> Bye for now!


	6. eternity and a day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When he returned to see her curled into a ball, his stomach had dropped at the sight. Each tear rolling down her face slipped a needle into his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prepare for angst in today's chapter haha  
> I hope it's okay! Recently I've been cringing at everything I write, especially when I compare it to others. (So I'll probably look back on this someday and laugh at it)  
> Anyway yeah, please enjoy.

She didn’t know how to explain it. The feeling of the world pressing in around her, squeezing her heart out, all of her thoughts that were usually so reasonable and logical leaving her in a blur. Each second passing by felt like an eternity, each shaking breath felt like she was running out of air. _He’s gone, he’s dead, I failed him, he left me,_ her thoughts circled, carving a track around her mind. Somewhere, deep down inside the shadows, she knew he was with her, and she felt him beside her, wrapping strong arms around her shaking body. The logical part of her mind struggled to get break free- to force her eyes open- but the feeling of despair was overwhelming, and she was convinced that he wasn’t there, that she was imagining his presence, that it would be too painful to open her eyes and see him gone.

“Rayla. _Rayla,_ ” Callum cried frantically, stroking gentle hands through her hair. “I’m here, It’s okay, just talk to me.” His panic rose, because seeing Rayla _crying_ made it feel like his heart was shattering into a million pieces. He’d been gone for far too long- by getting distracted and wandering off to sketch after refilling their canteens- and it was all his fault that she was having one of her rare panic attacks. When he returned to see her curled into a ball, his stomach had dropped at the sight. Each tear rolling down her face slipped a needle into his heart. Unwinding his scarf from around his neck, he used the fabric to gently wipe tear tracks from her face. Rayla nestled into its folds, its touch helping her come back, a spot of gentle comfort amidst the shadows. It was soft and cool, and it smelled like him. She steeled herself and opened one periwinkle eye, glistening with tears, to see Callum. Sweet, beautiful, _alive_ Callum. The waterfalls began to overflow from her eyes again.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” he assured her. He held her shivering form as close as he could. “Breathe, Rayla. Calm down, it’s okay.” Gradually, her sobs reduced to gasps, which reduced to mumbles. Callum helped her take deep breaths, in and out, in and out.

“I never want to lose you,” she whispered, eyes closed, leaning against him for support. He took her hand and squeezed.

“You don’t have to worry about that ever again. I’ll stay with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon- Rayla gets starts getting panic attacks when Callum leaves (They're rare but severe), so he leaves her his scarf.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to check out anything else I've written. Or not.  
> see you again for tomorrow's prompt, which is -dragon-. I have NO IDEA what I'm going to write...*nervous laughter*


	7. always an adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Rayla.” he growled, struggling into his jacket and sprinting down the stairs as fast as humanly possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost the last day of Rayllum Week! I'm honestly so surprised I even got this far :)
> 
> This chapter is post-war with aged up characters (I'm thinking maybe two or even three years later)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Callum awakened to the sounds of screams outside his window.

“What the-” he muttered, yanking open the blinds and blinking the remnants of sleep from his eyes. Outside, a dragon was thrashing around in the courtyard, surrounded in a semi-circle by castle guards, trying in vain to restrain it. This would have been much more alarming to him, if it hadn’t been a _very familiar_ dragon, accompanied by a _very familiar_ silver-haired girl who was amidst a heated argument.

“ _Rayla._ ” he growled, struggling into his jacket and sprinting down the stairs as fast as humanly possible. Blinding light pierced his eyes he rounded the corner and hurried outside. Callum flew past Ezran and the guards he was trying to dismiss, eyes zeroed in on one person, and one person only.

“WHAT THE HECK, RAYLA?” he cried. She turned, and there was a beat of silence as they stared at each other.

“I was wondering when you’d come join the party,” she said.

“It’s always an adventure with you, isn’t it?” he sighed, shaking his head and, trying to ignore how she was taller, and her hair was longer, and- _good gods, he had really missed her._ Rayla smiled, that bright smile he’d spent more than a few sleepless nights longing for. Almost as if in slow motion, she moved towards him, enveloping him in a hug.

“Missed you, dummy,” she whispered into his ear. His heart skipped a beat.

“I think Zym wants to fly,” she said, breaking the hug and gesturing to the restless dragon. “Want to go for a ride?”

~~~~

“I started my day with screaming, and I think that’s how it’s going to end,” Callum muttered, eyes screwed shut.

“Oh please, you’ll be fine,” Rayla replied, rolling her eyes. He took several deep breaths before opening them again, and the sight was enough to take his breath away. Rocky mountains rose above lush green fields and forests, dotted with rivers and lakes. In the distance were the rooftops of villages, and behind them, the castle, and Katolis. A gentle breeze wove through the air, ruffling his hair.

“It’s beautiful,” he breathed.

“Told you so,” Rayla smirked. Zym meandered through the air as Callum tried to build words up in his throat.

“I, uh, missed you too, by the way,” he coughed out. “I don’t think I told you before.”

Rayla looked at him with a strange expression, glancing anywhere but his eyes. Their hands brushed, just a bit, and they stiffened.

“Callum-”

Rayla was cut off by a snort from Zym, who, without warning, hurtled towards the earth, leaving the two teenagers screaming their lungs out. The trees were growing closer and closer, and Callum was just about to brace for impact when they were pulled out of the dive with a lurch. Twin sighs of relief escaped from their lips.

“Zym!” Rayla protested, met with another self-satisfactory snort.

“Like I said,” Callum groaned, “Always an adventure.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you tomorrow for the last chapter~ I'm so excited to write a confession!


	8. seeing stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice dropping into a whisper that made her feel like she was swimming in jelly. “Is it me? What did I do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my final Rayllum week fic!! This challenge was honestly so fun and I had such a great time writing for it!  
> I hope you've enjoyed reading my *terrible* fics~ here's the final chapter.  
> Rayllum week day 8- confession  
> These kids need to hurry up and figure out they're in love, am I right?

It was raining. Rayla was… no, _had_ _been_ falling in love with a human, and it was raining, and the world was falling apart and stitching itself back together again. Her chest felt tight and she could barely _breathe_ and...and she was _so, so...screwed._

“Are...you okay?”

Her hands flew away from the face they were trying to hide, and she desperately hoped he couldn’t see how flustered she was. He was looking at her with concern in his eyes, those eyes that she’d fallen for a million times over without realizing. _Calm down, you idiot,_ she mentally scolded herself.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You’re not getting sick again, are you?” he asked, scrutinizing the color creeping up her face.

“I’m fine, okay?” she snapped, standing up and wrapping her arms around herself. Suddenly, she felt like the cave was suffocating her, and she needed to _get up, get away_. “I’m going for a walk.” she told him. Yes. A walk. That was what she needed. Fresh night air and her own thoughts. She began taking quick steps towards the mouth of the cave.

“But- you hate the rain. Just tell me what’s wrong, Ray,” he pleaded, following her in close pursuit. Rayla spun sharply to face him, about to tell him to _leave her alone_ , when she realized how close he was standing, and the creases marring his forehead, and the sketchbook he had abandoned, the same one that contained the drawing that had sent her reeling moments ago. He took her hands.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice dropping into a whisper that made her feel like she was swimming in jelly. “Is it me? What did I _do_?”

Words swam around Rayla’s head, all of them seeming to dodge out of her reach. _Say SOMETHING,_ her mind screamed. A squawk escaped her throat. She lifted her chin to face him, and _oh great moons above,_ he was _so close_ and she couldn’t believe how she hadn’t realized how much she _loved him_. She was acutely aware of every millimeter of space between them and  she finally looked up into his eyes, trying to explain her torrent of emotions without words. And then the realization hit him, and the space evaporated.

“Callum-” she squeaked, as she felt him pull her into an embrace, and then he was _kissing her._ He felt like sunshine and warmth and happiness and she wanted to freeze the moment in time. She hadn’t known how much she’d been longing for him, and it was almost too much.

“Does that fix your problem?” he murmured, breaking this kiss too soon. She let out a long, contented sigh.

“Yes.”

“Good, because I’ve been wanting to do that for _so long_.”

She looked at his face, seeing stars, and hope, and the future, the good future they were fighting for with Zym.

“Me too,” she replied.

And they kissed again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! I'll definitely be writing more Rayllum in the future- hoping to work on some college AU next, since I really enjoyed that day.  
> If you've liked these chapters, feel free to check out anything else I've written.  
> Thank you so so so much for reading! <3


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